Clutch operator for windshield wipers



June 30,'1936.. c. J. I AUER 2,046,171

CLUTCH OPERATOR FOR WINDSHIELD WIPERS Filed Aug. 4, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 30, 1936. C. J. I AUER v CLUTCH OPERATOR FOR WINDSHIELD WIPERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 4, 1953 Patented` `unei 30, 1936 A A i s'rsrss oLU'ron ornns'ron non. wnmsmunn Winans Carleton d. Lauer, Flint, Mich., assigner, by

mesne assignments, to General. Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation oi Deiay `.duplication August d, 1933, Serial No., 633,5@1

Claims. v (Cl. lSZ--Sm vThis invention relates to windshield cleaners of the mechanically operated type.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple mechanically operated cleaner in which manual- 5 ly operated means is employed to release the operative connection with' the driving source.

Another `object is to provide economy in construction and eciency in operation.

Other objects and advantages will be under- ]o stood from the following description.

In. the drawings accompanying this description Fig. l. is a view in elevation. of a windshield with the cleaner installed, parts of the view being broken away to illustrate the operating mechamsm.

Fig. 2 is a section online 2-2 of Fig. i.

Fig. 3 is a view on line 3 3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section showing the driving connection between the operating cable and the power source.

Fig. 5 is an elevation showing the operating mechanism within the housing, parts being in section. y

' Fig. 6 is a section on line t--E of Fig. 5.

Fig. 'l is a section online "rl-i of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8--3 oi Fig. 5.

Fig. -9 is a view of a ,detail in perspective.

Referring by reference characters to the figures ci the drawing, numeral li represents the windshield of a motor'vehicle associated, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, with a seat.. i3 between a cowl portion i5 and an instrument board il. A hollow bon-like member is extends transversely of the vehicle beneath the parts i5 and i l and is located under the base portion i3. This box-like portion has' rearwardly directed flanges 2i as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. .Fastening means 23 near the mid portion of the windshield secure a bracket 25 to the anges t i A housing for the operating mechanism is represented by numeral 2l. it is secured beneath the instrument board il and .to the rear side of the downwardly directed part of the bracket 25 as shown in Fig. 2. in Fig. 5 numeral 29 represents openings for the attachintended to be clutched and declutched by such al movements trom the generator shaft. The gement for clutching'and declutching is ing means by which the housing is securedrto I shown in Fig. A. sleeve t! is secured by festening means 45 to the end wall of the generator. A cap 4l is threaded to the sleeve 43. This cap positions a terminal element t9 relative to the sleeve. To the terminal element 49 ls secured a exible housing 5i surrounding the operating 5 cable 3i. Within the sleeve 43 is a spring 53 engaging at one end an abutment 55 seated against the end of the sleeve. The cable 3i carries an extension 5l having attached thereto or integral therewith a head 59, the latter and the generator shaft 33 having cooperating clutch elements 6l and 63. The spring 53 functions normally to effect the engagement of the clutch .as will be understood. Preferablyacup-shaped guide 65 encompasses the head 59 and guides its movements 15 Within the -sleeve 43 and serves to take the spring loa/d when the clutch is engaged and, therefore, whenever the clutch driven shaft is operating, thus eliminating the thrust of the spring from the moving part. The head 59 may also be provided 'f with an axial pin ilpiloted into an opening 69 in the driving portion of the clutch. To release the clutch as suggested above, the exible cable 3l is pulled through the housing 5i and with it the parts 5'? and 59, whereupon the clutch elements associated with the head 59 and shaft 33 become disengaged. f

Within the housing 2l is a shaft 3l as stated above. Slidably splined on shaft 3l is a sleeve 'it to one end of which is secured the end Yof the cable Si. Surrounding and secured to the sleeve il is a collar lf3. A cap I5 is threaded on the end of the housing 2l and secures thereto a terminal member 'il which is attached to the exible cable housing 5i.

Cooperating with housing 2l and covering the open vside thereof is a cover l. Journaled in the housing and cover in the vicinity ci the co1- lar 'i3 is a shaft di. Externally of the housing the shaft 8l has a crank arm t3. Shaft @i carries a diametrcally positioned pin t5 for entry into a' notch fill on the cover boss M8 for the purpose oi preventing undesired rotation of the shaft. To hold the pin in the notch is a spring d@ surrounding the shaft and acting against the cover one abutment and against a second abutment di carried by the shaft. The shaft carries a pinion E33, the teeth or which. engage the teeth of a racl; 95 having sliding support as at Ell ands@ in the cover and casing. The raclr has a hooked end lili engageable with the end of the collar is and operable when shaftl is rotated in one direction to null the cable and release the clutch at its remote end, this cablefrelease being against t e tension or spring 53. When so released a slight axial movementvof shaft 8| under the influence of spring 89 canses it to be held by engagement of the pin 85 in the recess of cover boss |48. This boss has a ramp |49 in the form of a helix over which pin 85 travels; said ramp coacting with spring 89 assists the handle to turn olf or on,l depending on which side of the apex of the ramp the cross piny 85 is. p

A stud |03 projects from the cover 19 and supports a torsion spring |05.. One end of this spring engages a lug |01 within the cover. The

other end engages underneath the rack 95 as` shown by Fig. 5. When the rack is reciprocated from the full line position tc the dotted line position the spring lifts the hooked end of the rack out of engagement with the collar 13. This occurs when, under the action of spring 53, the clutch between parts 59 and 33 eng-ages to effect a rotation of the shaft 3l', in obedience to partial rotation of handle shaft 8|.

Near the end of shaft 31 is a worm |09 oper- "able, when shaft 31 rotates, to rotate' worm gear on sh-aft i |3 journaled in the housing and cover as shown by Fig. 7. The wprm gearl may be held non-rotatably on its shaft by a shaft encompassing spring ||5 engaging a shaft carrying' abutment ||1 the spring also engaging the gear and operable to lock a shaft carried element IZI thereto in a well-known manner. Shaft |3 carries a radial crank |23 provided with a crank pin |25. From the crank pin |25 there extend oppositeiy directed links |29 and |3|.

Link |3| at its end remote from its connection with crank pin |25 engages a pin |33 c-n an arm of asegmental gear pivoted at |31 by a bracket |39. The bracket is suitably secured to the housing fianges 2|. The teeth of the segmental gear |35 engage the teeth of a pinion |4| carried on a shaft |43 rotatable within a hollow shaft, the latter preferably formed integral with the bracket |39. The shaft |43 extends from a position within the members i5 and i1 to a position outside the cowl member |5 and. in front of and below the windshield. pivotally a cleaner arm |45, the latter equipped with -a cleaner blade E41 as usual. The link |29 is extended in an opposite direction as stated` and is pivoted to an arm associated with a second segmental gear 35'. For the purpose of providing opposite directions cf rotation to the two blades the arm cf gear |35 to which the link |29 is connected extends upwardly from the pivoted gear instead of downwardly as in the case of link |3|.

It will be understood that rotation of shaft 8| by means of its handle or arm 83 will pull the rack from the dotted line positiontothe full line position of Fig.5,thereby pulling the cable and releasing the driving clutch. Preferably the clutch disconnection will be made when the blades are at the limits of its movement away from each other. ri'At this time a vslight axial movement cf the shaft by its spring 89 locks the shaft from rotation through the instrumentality cf the pin 85, the spring 53 being held under tension. To reengage the clutch to effect operation of the i cleaner a slight opposite axial movement of shaft 83 against the tension of spring 89 pemiits shaft rotation in a direction such as to render spring 53 'effective to cause clutch engagement simultaneously with the movement of the cable. The

torsion spring lifts the hooked end of the rack' It carries rack 95 out of engagement with any revolving part-s while the wiper is in operation; thus avoiding any wear, noise, etc. The only brief moment, during which the hook portion ci the rack touches the revolving part 13 and shaft assembly, happens when the rack is pulled backward to disengage the flexible shaft from the driving means for stopping the wip-cr.

This parking of the rack hooked portion out of the way also makes possible the easy assembly of the shaft, sleeve and collar assembly into the wiper head.

If it be desired te manually rotate the blades the connection at |2| effected by the spring ||5 permits, by the yielding of the spring, such action to take place without rotation of the driving gear elements |09,

I claim:

1. In windshield cleaner mechanism, a housing, a rotary shaft therein, an axially movable cable extending into said housing and having a slidable but non-rotatable connection relative to said shaft, means in said housing movable in one direction to engage and axially move said cable, additional means in said housing to move said movable means from engagement with said cable when said cable is moved in the opposite direction whereby to facilitate assembly of the cable.

2. In windshield cleaner mechanism, a shaft mounted to rotate and to reciprocate, one end of said shaft having means to drivingly engage a power source whereby, when reciprocated to engage said source, the shaft may be rotated, yielding means tobias said shaft to driving engagement with said power source, mechanism whereby the other end of said shaft adapted to operate cleaner mechanism, a slidable rack adaptedto move said shaft bodily and declutch it from the its position of driving engagement with the power source, manually operable means including a pinion engaging said 'rack to slide the rack and to engage and move said shaft and disconnect it from its driving source.

3. In windshield cleaner mechanism, a first shaft adapted to rotate and operate a windshield cleaner, a second shaft mounted to rotate and reciprocate and having a slidable but non-rotatable relation with .the first shaft, one end of the second shaft adapted to b'e clutched to a source of power whereby when reciprocated to engage said source it may itself rotate and thereby rotate the first shaft, first yielding means to reciprocate said second shaft to driving position, a slidable rack movable to engage and move said second shaft from clutch engagement with said power source, second yielding means engageable with and operable upon said rack to move it from engagement with said second shaft when the latter is in clutch engaging position, and manually operable means including a pinion operable to slide said rack and shift said` second shaft into declutching position against the tension of said first yielding means. I

4. The invention defined by claim 3,- said second shaft havingr a collar fixed thereto and said rack having an offset to engage said collar.

5. The invention defined by claim 3, said ysecond shaft having a collar fixed thereto, said `rack having an offset to engage said collar, and said second yielding means opera-ble to move said offset from said collar in the clutch engaging position of the second shaft. n

l CARLETONJ. LAUER. 

